A Blossom of Hope
by Tangleflame
Summary: Just as every cat is unique, every cat has their own story to tell. Follow four very different cats as they deal with their own unique struggles. Follow Sunkit through her journey as rescued rogue kit. Follow Gingerpaw as she realizes love isn't easy. Follow Sleekpaw as he struggles to figure out where he belongs. Follow Fawnkit as she struggles with a family that doesn't want her.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This story is a remake of my original story UNWANTED. The story follows a cat from each clan, each one dealing with something different. I hope you enjoy (:**

 **~ Tangleflame**

 **Chapter 1:**

 **Windclan ~ Fawnkit**

A low and cracking yowl spread over the quiet Windclan camp. The moon was high in sky, and cats slept soundly huddled together in the middle of camp. Those closest to the nursery raised their heads in alarm, but once realizing the camp wasn't under attack, they lay their heads back down. A small grey bundle raced out from a gorse bush and slipped through a crevice in the rock a few yards away.

"Kestrelwing! Kestrelwing! Wake up!" the small voice of the grey kit cried, waking the light brown she-cat that lay curled in her nest. Kestrelwing's eyes flew open and met the wide eyes of young Mistkit.

Kestrelwing was immediately on her paws, seeing the alarm in Mistkit's eyes. "What's wrong Mistkit? Is it Brownfeather?"

Mistkit nodded vigorously, her small paws kneaded the ground. "The kits are coming!"

The small white tom that had been sleeping in a nest next to Kestrelwing, lifted his head, his green eyes still clouded with sleep. Kestrelwing nudged her apprentice to his feet, excitement coursing through her. Brownfeather was her sister.

"Whitepaw! Grab some borage leaves and meet me in the nursery quickly!"

Kestrelwing didn't wait for her apprentice to answer as she raced out of the medicine cat den, Mistkit hard on her heels. Careful not to disturb the sleeping warriors in the clearing, the light brown she-cat ducks underneath the gorse bush and heads to the back of the den where a darker brown she-cat was laying in her nest. Brownfeather's sides heave and she looks up at her sister with a desperate and pained look in her eyes.

Kestrelwing touched her nose to her sister's cheek in reassurance. "Everything is going just as it should be, don't worry Brownfeather"

"Can you try and keep her calm Shiningdawn?" Kestrelwing's asks the pale silver tabby in the nest beside her. The expecting queen nods and crouches lower to Brownfeather's head and starts murmuring to her softly.

Placing a paw on Brownfeather convulsing belly, Kestrelwing could feel the ripples starting to grow stronger. Entering the nursery, Whitepaw drops the borage next to his mentor, his green eyes widened at the sight of the queen. He had only been an apprentice for about a moon now and he hadn't yet experienced a queen kitting.

"Whitepaw, you can get me some soaked moss and then you can try to keep Stormshadow busy outside. You can help me when Shiningdawn kits." Whitepaw nodded vigorously and was gone.

"Okay Brownfeather, this is going to hurt but I need you to push," Kestrelwing murmurs softly, then looks to Mistkit who is standing off to side with wide, interested eyes. "Can you find me a stick for her to bite down on?"

Brownfeather lets out another low yowl as she attempts to push. Mistkit is back almost instantly and drops a stick next to Brownfeather's head. The queen gratefully grabs it as she attempts to push again, her stomach rippling with the effort. With a soft plop, a wet bundle slips into the nest and Kestrelwing leans over to nip the sac surrounding the kit and then licks his fur. With a loud mew, the small kit thrashes his paws and Kestrelwing nudges him toward Brownfeather's stomach and prepares for the next kit. After a few minutes there's two more kits beside the first kit. Brownfeather looks up, eyes pained.

"Why... Why is there still pain?" She hisses, her eyes full of pain.

"There must be one more kit," Kestrelwing soothes, but her heart begins to thump wildly as blood spills to the ground behind Brownfeather. Brownfeather's jaws clamp down fiercely on the stick as she gives one last push, her eyes bright with pain, and one last small, maybe too small, bundle slips to the ground.

Quickly nipping the sac, Kestrelwing starts licking the kit fiercely, at first there's no sound, then a very faint mewl. Thankful it wasn't a stillborn, she pushes kit to her sister's belly next to her other kits. Brownfeather releases the stick and pushes herself up enough to view her kits. Happiness and love light up her eyes as she glances at her kits. The light seems to disappear from her eyes and she stares hard at the final kit. Kestrelwing looks back down to the kits to figure out what could have upset Brownfeather. At first, she doesn't notice anything abnormal about the kits, until her eyes rest on the final kit. Compared to the first three kits, the last one was much smaller. Brownfeather's final kit was a runt.

" _Brownfeather is one of the most beautiful she-cats the clans have seen in a long time, she's going to expect her kits to be perfect... I'm just wondering what will happen if one of them aren't"_ The memory is stirred up in Kestrelwing's mind as she remembers the day she had found out her sister was expecting kits. Streamflower, one of Windclan's elders had ominously questioned what Brownfeather would do if her kits weren't perfect. Dread filled Kestrelwing, as she now wondered the same thing. _Oh Starclan, please make sure she loves this kit._

"Stormshadow, you can come in now," Brownfeather calls out wearily and the black tom races in. His eyes dart between his mate and his new kits

"Oh Brownfeather, they're beautiful, just like you," He purrs, licking her ear. Brownfeather purrs back, hazel eyes lighting up in delight.

"Congratulations Brownfeather, you have four beautiful kits, one tom and three she-cats," Kestrelwing purrs, keeping her eyes on the tiny runt. The kit's pelt is a beautiful brown color with a darker shade dappling the rest of her pelt. One cream paw feebly pushes at the far end of Brownfeather's belly. The coloring of her pelt reminds the medicine cat of a forest animal, a fawn, that she had seen once when out gathering herbs.

"Oh Brownfeather! Your kits look beautiful! Congratulations." Shiningdawn purrs, looking down at the newborn kits nestled in Brownfeather's belly.

"Thank you Shiningdawn. Just think, you're next!" Brownfeather purrs tiredly from her nest. Shiningdawn lets out a mrrow of laughter and heads back to her own nest.

"You name the tom," Brownfeather tells her mate, flicking her feathery tail to a gray tom-kit with black paws.

Stormshadow looks down at the small kit. "Windkit."

"This one will be Featherkit and then Heatherkit," Brownfeather murmurs, pointing to the tow almost identical she-kits next to the tom-kit. Both kits have the same cream flecked brown fur, though one's pelt seems longer the other.

"Beautiful names for beautiful kits," Stormshadow agrees, licking the three kits heads and staring uneasily at the fourth. The tom wasn't sure why his mate had paid no attention to the final kit.

"What about the last one?" Kestrelwing's steady mew breaks the silence.

" _If_ she makes it to morning, I will name her" Brownfeather's reply is met with a small gasp from the other end of the nursery.

"You can't let a kit go to Starclan without a name!" a small indignant voice asks from the far corner of the nursery. Cheetahblaze quickly quiets her kit, ears flattened in embarrassment.

"Very well, but Brownfeather remember, she is still your kit," Kestrelwing reminds her sister, staring disapprovingly at her. There had been cases in the past where the runts of the litter didn't make it through their first night, and this runt would need all the strength it had to compete with its siblings.

Brownfeather just lets out a small growl in response and curls around her kits. It was hard for Kestrelwing to act as a medicine cat, when this was her sister acting this way. If this would have been any other queen, Kestrelwing would have been forced to accept the queen's decision, but this wasn't any queen. She had long ago learned that Brownfeather had to be perfect in every way, but Kestrelwing wouldn't let her treat a kit improperly.

"Eat the borage and get some rest," Kestrelwing orders her sister affectionately before leaving her with her mate and kits. The she-cat heads back to the medicine cat, her tail drooping in exhaustion. There were a few hours before the sun rose, and Kestrelwing hoped she could go back to sleep. I headed back to the medicine cat den, hoping to get some sleep before the sun rose in a few hours.

In the morning, Kestrelwing settled down next to her apprentice, a vole in-between them. "Is everything okay Kestrelwing?"

"Yes Whitepaw, I'm just anxious to go checkup on Brownfeather."

"Well go ahead, I'm sure you're just excited to see your sister's kits again," Whitepaw assures his mentor, nudging me with his nose. Giving him a small nod, Kestrelwing stands and heads for the gorse bush. Whitepaw wasn't completely accurate, she wanted to see the kits and make sure they were okay, but her mind was focused on the runt. Letting her eyes adjust to the light in the nursery, Kestrelwing spots her sister curled up with Stormshadow and her kits. Kestrelwing's gaze immediately searches for the small kit, and relief floods over her as she spots the small she-kit next to her littermates.

"Good morning Brownfeather, how are you feeling?"

"Better, the kitting left me tired, but I'm feeling more energized this morning," Brownfeather nudges one of her kits towards her belly softly.

"That's good to hear. Have you named your other kit yet?"

"No. No I haven't. I don't want a runt," Brownfeather's voice is steady, though she doesn't meet her sister's shocked glare. Anger flared in Kestrelwing, her sister wasn't allowed to just pick and choose what kits she wanted to care for.

"Brownfeather. It's a little too late, you already gave birth to her. She's your kit whether you like it or not." Kestrelwing tried to keep the anger out of her voice as she responded.

"I don't want anything to do with it," Brownfeather growls, staring at the un-named runt with despise. Furious, I look around the nursery to see the other queens with masks of shock on their face. Even Stormshadow looked slightly uncomfortable with his mate's answer, but the tom stays quiet. Cheetahblaze swiftly rounds up her kits and shuffles them outside, Shiningdawn hard on her heels.

"You don't have a choice. Don't forget that I am also your medicine cat and I demand that you take care of this kit, I don't care if you like it or not," A growl escapes Kestrelwing, her pelt prickling with anger at her sister.

"Why don't you name her then." Brownfeather retorts, her pelt also prickling. The two sisters stare hard at each other.

"Fine," Kestrelwing finally growls, breaking the silence. With one last glance at the small kit, "Her name is Fawnkit. And I advise you remember what I'm telling you Brownfeather, you _will_ take care of her."

The medicine stalks out of the nursery and into the clearing. Pacing the clearing, Kestrelwing's pelt prickled with worry. _Maybe I should go to the Moonpool and ask Starclan what I should do, I can't let Brownfeather mistreat an innocent kit just because of her size!_

"Kestrelwing..." A soft voice stopped Kestrelwing's pacing. Looking up, the medicine cat looks in to the gentle eyes of Streamflower. Streamflower had only recently moved into the elders den, before that she had stayed in the nursery helping with new queens and their kits.

"Did Starclan warn you about Brownfeather?" Kestrelwing waited desperately for the elder to answer, there was no way Streamflower had known how Brownfeather would react to an imperfect kit without warning.

"No, they didn't, but I have been around long enough to notice when a she-cat worries more about beauty," Streamflower responds softly, nudging Kestrelwing toward the medicine cat den.

"You just have to keep faith that Starclan will give her the love she needs to survive," Streamflower soothes as she leads her medicine cat to her nest.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'll be splitting this story between four cats, but it'll all come together. Enjoy.**

 **~ Tangleflame**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Riverclan ~ Sunkit**

 _You're going to pay for this_

Once again, the haunting voice of the cat that killed her mother awoke Sunkit. The fluffy golden kit stood from where she had been nestled in between her adopted littermates and shook out her fur. The fear from her dream still engulfed her, but the small kit took deep breaths to slow her heart beat. Badgerfur lifted her head, "Was it the same dream?"

Sunkit nodded, she had confided in her foster mom about the memories she had before she had been taken in by Riverclan. Most nights, the young kit was terrorized by the memory of finding her actual mother with her throat ripped out and the haunting voice of the cat that killed her. Badgerfur's tongue lapped gently over Sunkit's head, comforting the small kit. Riverclan had been good to her since she had been taken in. Bright sunlight was filtering in through the brambles of the nursery and Sunkit could hear the Riverclan camp starting to wake.

"Sunkit, since you're awake, can you get some fresh-kill for Lakepelt?" Badgerfur asked her. The blue-furred queen had been busy with her four kits ever since they had been born 2 moons ago. Sunkit nodded and headed out of the nursery, thankful for the distraction. As she headed for the fresh-kill pile, she was almost plowed over by the medicine cat. The young gray tom still looked half asleep, but his blue eyes were wide with confusion and a little bit of fear. He mewed a quick apology before racing off to the leader's den. Sunkit knew she was too young to know the responsibilities that came with being the medicine cat. Reaching the fresh-kill pile, she was surprised to see that there was so much prey to choose from. _The hunting patrols haven't even left yet!_

"Starclan has blessed us with good hunting this new leaf." Sunkit looked up to see Stonetail, Lakepelt's mate.

"I hope hunting is this good when I'm an apprentice!" Stonetail purred at her enthusiastic response.

"I think Lakepelt would enjoy that water vole, having the kits has made her crave more land prey," Stonetail nodded towards the plump water vole in the pile and padded off with a friendly flick of his tail. The tom headed towards the camp entrance and joined Featherleaf and Cloverpaw. Sunkit guessed that they were the first hunting patrol going out. Sunkit grabbed the water vole from the prey and started dragging it to the nursery. She came across the elder, Snagheart, as he slunk out of the elder's den.

"At least you kits are making yourselves useful! You would think Riverclan didn't have enough warriors, with all the kit we've been having." The old tom huffed, slowly sinking into a stretch. A scratchy purr sounded from inside the elder's den and a once beautiful tortoiseshell joined her den mate in the sun.

"I think it's wonderful to have so many kits in the clans! Sunkit, you make sure you and those littermates of yours come keep us company and we'll tell you some stories!"

Sunkit waved her tail in acknowledgement to the elders and continued to drag the water vole to the nursery. She was happy that Flowerpool thought of Beechkit and Shadowkit as her littermates, instead of referring her to the rogue kit Riverclan had found. It hadn't happened in a few moons, but Sunkit remembered the first few moons she had been in Riverclan and there were certain cats that were wary of her presence. Some warriors feared that a rogue would come looking for her and some worried that she would never fit in. Maybe when moons passed and no rogue showed up in camp looking for a lost kit, or when Sunkit didn't drown the first time she was allowed to play in the stream, that she was accepted.

The other cats in the nursery were awake by the time she was back. Sunkit dragged the water vole straight to Lakepelt, the queen was trying to calm her energized kits.

"Hey Sunkit! Is that for us?" Willowkit bounded up to Sunkit but stumbled over her paws. Sunkit was 2 moons older than Lakepelt's kits and she couldn't help but purr in amusement at their clumsiness. Letting go of the water vole, she nudged Willowkit back to her paws.

"It's for Lakepelt, you're still too young for fresh-kill," Sunkit replied to the small gray-blue kit. Her blue eyes briefly darkened with sadness, then lit up once again.

"That's okay! Mother said we can start trying fresh-kill soon! I wonder what she'll let us eat first. What did you eat for the first time Sunkit?" Willowkit was talking excitedly, and Sunkit knew the questions were just about to start.

"I bet it was a mouse!" Shellkit exclaimed, the golden she-kit coming to stand next to her sister.

"A mouse? We're in Riverclan, Shellkit. I'm sure that she ate a fish her first time. Right, Sunkit?" A third voice joined in, a small white tom-kit.

"That's right Cloudkit, it was a minnow." The small tom puffed his chest out in pride and flicked his sister's ear in victory.

"Well I want to try mouse! There are still mice by the river, fish-brain!" Shellkit growled at Cloudkit, and playfully swiped a small paw at him. The two kits started to tumble together, and Sunkit looked away from them at the sound of a soft purr.

"Sunkit, thank you for this water vole. These four have me constantly busy," The gray queen gently grabbed the water vole and readjusted herself, so her kits wouldn't trample her prey.

"You're welcome Lakepelt! I'm sure they'll be excited when Berryheart has her kits!" Sunkit commented, throwing a glance at the cream tabby queen next to them. Her stomach was bulging with unborn kits.

"As long as we don't also have four kits," Berryheart's mate, Snaketooth, muttered. The dusty brown tom watched the four kits with wide eyes. Berryheart purred in amusement.

"Pebblesplash thinks I'm only going to have one or two, so you're in luck."

"Can I feel?" A small voice asked. Sunkit watched Lakepelt's fourth kit come up to them. The brown she-kit was looking at Berryheart's belly with curious eyes.

"Go ahead Mothkit," Berryheart said gently, just as Lakepelt told her daughter to be careful.

"Do you think she'll be Pebblesplash's new apprentice when she's old enough?" Sunkit asked, watched as the small kit placed her two front paws gently on Berryheart's belly and started to slowly knead.

"Oh yes, she's constantly asking to go see Pebblesplash. She even tries to fake injuries just to go to the medicine cat den!" Lakepelt mewed in amusement. Sunkit was about to respond when Mothkit stepped back from Berryheart's belly and looked up at the queen.

"You only have one kit in there," Mothkit's voice was sure as she spoke to the queen.

"I guess we'll see soon, little one. I'm due to have them any day now," Berryheart meowed, her tail stroking her round belly.

Sunkit was distracted by Badgerfur waving her tail, trying to get Sunkit's attention. Sunkit padded off towards the black queen.

"Sunkit, I told Beechkit and Shadowkit that you three could share a piece of fresh kill, so I would hurry out there before they eat it all for themselves," Badgerfur nudged her toward the nursery entrance. Sunkit didn't need to hear that twice, she raced out of the nursery and saw her two brothers sifting through the fresh kill pile.

"Hey! Wait for me!" She exclaimed, running towards them. When she arrived at the pile, Beechkit had a fat fish in his mouth.

"Want to share this trout, Sunkit?" Shadowkit asked. Sunkit nodded vigorously, her mouth was watering just at the sight of the fish. That was one thing that surprised a few of the Riverclan warriors, Sunkit had really liked the taste of fish. They told her that even some of the Riverclan kits had to get used to the fishy taste, but not Sunkit. Sunkit crouched between Beechkit and Shadowkit and bit into the fish, savoring the salty taste.

Between the three kits, it didn't take them long to finish their piece of fresh kill. "That was so good," Beechkit meowed as he swiped a tongue of his whiskers. Then the tan tom-kit sank into a deep stretch, his tail curling over his back. He wasn't much bigger than Sunkit, Sunkit was lucky that Badgerfur's kits were born around the same time as she had been. The three of them were five moons old and were about to reach their sixth moon, which meant they would become apprentices.

"Hey look! It's Volepaw!" Shadowkit exclaimed, his violet eyes focused on a brown tabby tom walking toward them.

"Hey kits!" Volepaw waved his tail in greeting, stopping in front of them.

"Volepaw! Can you show us some battle moves?" Beechkit asked, looking up at the older tom in admiration.

"You three just can't wait to become apprentices, huh?" Volepaw purred in amusement, "I'll show you guys a new move I learned from my friend in Shadowclan."

"You have a Shadowclan friend?" Shadowkit asked, his eyes wide and his voice laced with shock.

"Sleekpaw is the only decent Shadowclan cat I know, he seems different. Maybe I'll introduce you to him at the next Gathering."

"Wow, okay. Can you show us that move now?" Shadowkit was now refocused on learning battle moves, dropping into a low crouch.

"I'll be the Shadowclan warrior attacking Riverclan camp and you guys are in charge of protecting the camp," Volepaw told them and dropped into a stance that the kits hadn't learned. Sunkit tried to copy him, but her paws felt awkward in the position. As Volepaw slunk towards them, Beechkit yowled a battle cry.

"I am Beechstar! Attack!"

The three of them jumped on the brown tabby tom and for a few seconds he was covered in kits, but with a swift move, Volepaw flung them off and swiftly returned to his earlier stance. Then before the kits could recover, Volepaw pounced towards Sunkit. The apprentice pinned her down, holding her on her back. She struggled to get out of his hold, but Volepaw was stronger than her.

"That's my sister! Get off her!" Shadowkit screeched and leapt onto Volepaw's back, grabbing his scruff. Beechkit ran around Volepaw and took a hold of his tail, pulling him.

Volepaw winced in pain and let go of Sunkit and rolled onto his back to shake off Shadowkit and acted like he was in a lot of pain. "These Riverclan warriors are too strong for me!"

The three kits yowled in victory, and jumped when they heard a strong, familiar voice come from behind them.

"I would say that I'm failing as a mentor if you just let a bunch of kits beat you, Volepaw. But they are my kits after all," The four of them turned around to see a muscular, brown tom watching them. Amusement and pride glowed in his amber eyes. Volepaw let out a small mrrow of laughter.

"I'm no match for the three of them," Volepaw mewed jokingly, getting to his paws and looking up at his mentor. Eagleclaw gave Sunkit a swift lick between her ears and affectionately touched his tail tip to Beechkit and Shadowkit's flank.

"They're growing fast, they'll be apprentices in a few days," Eagleclaw mewed, looking down at his kits. "Though we must be going Volepaw, we're on border patrol with Hawkflame. You kits, behave yourself."

Sunkit watched her adopted father walk away with Volepaw, and she couldn't help but feel excited. They were about to be apprentices!

"I wonder who our mentors are going to be! I want Hawkflame to mentor me.," Shadowkit meowed, angling his ears toward the deputy of Riverclan. The brown and white tom looked like he was wishing a farewell to Skytail. The tom affectionately touched his nose to her ear before heading towards the camp entrance to meet with Eagleclaw and Volepaw. Hawkflame and Skytail weren't officially mates, but Sunkit had noticed the two cats grow closer.

"Well I want Frozenstar!" Beechkit exclaimed. Sunkit purred in amusement, she wasn't sure which cat she wanted as her mentor. She admired all the Riverclan warriors, and she would prove to whoever was chosen as her mentor, that she belonged in Riverclan.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Hope you guys are enjoying the first few chapters. So far you have met little Fawnkit, the runt of her litter, who is dealing with a mother that doesn't want her. Then you have met cute Sunkit, a rescued rogue kit that is trying hard to prove herself. Now I introduce to you our apprentice from Shadowclan.**

 **~ Tangleflame**

 **Sleekpaw**

 **Chapter 1**

"Can we go hunting by the Thunderclan border?" Sleekpaw asked his mentor as they left camp, slipping through the thorn tunnel. Sleekpaw shook his gray tabby fur, hating the way the brambles scratched uncomfortably at his fur.

Ivytail slid through the torn tunnel after him, unaffected by the thorns. "That sounds okay. We might see some squirrels over there."

Pleased that his mentor had listened to him, Sleekpaw let Ivytail take the lead as they headed through the pines. It was almost sun high, but the thick canopy of the pine forest cast dark shadows around them. Sleekpaw looked up and tried to cast a glimpse of the sky, but all he saw were the expanse of thick branches and pines. Disappointed, Sleekpaw turned his attention back to where he was putting his paws, so he could avoid the carefully hidden ditches throughout Shadowclan territory. The two cats padded silently through the pines until the trees started to thin out and the Sleekpaw could see the clearing through the trees.

The small tom pricked his ears and was pleased when the soft sound of rushing water met his ears. He longed to race the rest of the way and get to the stream, but he wasn't sure how that would look to his mentor. Shadowclan cats weren't supposed to like water, but Sleekpaw couldn't help it. Ivytail stopped suddenly, holding his tail high to warn Sleekpaw to stop and not move. Sleekpaw pricked his ears and heard the unmistakable sound of squirrel a few fox lengths in the trees. Ivytail gave his apprentice a quick jerk of his tail to let Sleekpaw know that the squirrel was his and that Sleekpaw should find something else.

Slipping quietly away, Sleekpaw headed towards the clearing. Breaking out from the trees, Sleekpaw relished the feel of the sun on his fur. Lifting his head towards the sky, he looked to the sky now that there were no trees blocking the expanse of blue anymore. Without wasting anymore time, Sleekpaw padded towards the stream that was nestled in the clearing. Sleekpaw was glad that the stream was in Shadowclan territory, even though they never had use for it. _Those mangy Thunderclan warriors don't need it either._ Sleekpaw didn't stop until the water was only a few mouse lengths in front of his paws. The slow rushing water of the stream was calming to Sleekpaw. The water didn't bother him as it did the other Shadowclan cats. Small flashes of silver came from the water depths and Sleekpaw longed to be able to catch one of the small fishes, but he didn't know how to fish. That wasn't something apprentices in Shadowclan learned.

A small scratching sound in the grass right next to the stream caught Sleekpaw's attention and the mouthwatering smell of a water vole reached him. It wasn't very often that the small creatures wandered around this small stream. Sleekpaw dropped silently into the hunter's crouch and tried to pinpoint the vole's exact location. In the patch of grass a few tail lengths in front of him, Sleekpaw caught small glances of the prey's small body. Flexing his claws, Sleekpaw leaped easily to the patch of grass and felt the warm body of the vole in his claws. With a quick bite to the neck, Sleekpaw stared proudly at his catch. He hoped Ivytail would be proud of him too. Picking up the water vole, the tabby tom headed back up the small slope and set his vole underneath some leaves next to a pine tree. He would have to catch more prey for Ivytail to be impressed.

Letting his eyes readjust to the shadows of the forest, Sleekpaw tasted the air for prey. It didn't take long for Sleekpaw to catch two mice before he headed back for his vole. When he arrived at his first catch, Ivytail was waiting for him. The gray and white tom had a fat squirrel and mouse at his paws. He took in Sleekpaw's catch with narrowed eyes.

"Well done Sleekpaw. The water vole is an interesting catch, but it will still feed the clan." It was as good as a praise Sleekpaw expected from his mentor. The two toms weren't very close. Sleekpaw's mother had died during the kitting and Sleekpaw had to be nursed by another queen. Whisperingspirit, Ivytail's mate, had just kitted around the same time so she took him in. Ivytail hadn't been too keen on helping raise a kit that wasn't his own, though Whisperingspirit was more than happy to raise Sleekpaw. Then when Ivytail and Whisperingspirit's only kit, Stormpaw, had decided to become a medicine cat apprentice, Ivytail had been somewhat disappointed. He had wanted to see his only son raised as a warrior, and Sleekpaw wasn't that for him. Picking up his catch, Sleekpaw followed Ivytail back to camp.

Squeezing through the bramble tunnel, Sleekpaw dropped his catch on the prey pile in the middle of camp. Graypelt was next to fresh kill pile as Sleekpaw dropped his catch. The gray tom eyed his son in approval.

"Good catch Sleekpaw! You and Ivytail hunted well, Coalshadow's going to really enjoy this squirrel." Graypelt nodded towards Ivytail's squirrel at his feet. Sleekpaw dipped is head in response to his father's praise. They had grown apart since he had become apprenticed. For most of Sleekpaw's kit hood, Graypelt had been overwhelmed with the grief of losing his mate. It had left them both very close as Graypelt had momentarily abandoned his warrior duties to spend time with his only kit. Then the gray tom started to distract himself with warrior duties and in the process got very close with a she-cat named Coalshadow. The two warriors had fallen in love by the time that Sleekpaw had reached six moons.

Graypelt still cared for his son, but Sleekpaw knew that his father was secretly wishing to start over and have a whole family. It had been 2 moons since Sleekpaw had become an apprentice, and he had just heard that Coalshadow would be moving into the nursery soon. Sleekpaw knew that he should be happy that Graypelt had gotten over his grief, but the young tom wasn't looking forward seeing Graypelt father these kits. As Graypelt padded away with the squirrel in his jaws, Sleekpaw scanned the camp for Stormpaw. Sleekpaw enjoyed the company of the young silver tom, it was almost like he had a brother.

Sleekpaw found himself heading towards the medicine cat den to see if Stormpaw wanted to share the water vole with him, but when he reached the den, the scents of both medicine cats were getting stale. _They must be out gathering herbs._ Turning away, Sleekpaw decided that he would get fresh-kill later and headed out of camp. The young tom was feeling conflicted, he often felt this way after a gathering. Sleekpaw always behaved the best when a gathering was coming up, so he would be allowed to go. He enjoyed seeing the other clans, especially the Riverclan apprentices.

At his first gathering, Sleekpaw had been challenged by a Riverclan apprentice to get in the lake. The young Riverclan tom had assumed that no Shadowclan cat would dare get their pelt wet, but Sleekpaw had quickly proved him wrong. That gained the approval of the apprentice, and he had taken Sleekpaw to meet the other Riverclan apprentices. Sleekpaw couldn't help but let out a soft mrrow of laughter at the memory.

" _Why are you staring at the lake like that? Scared that it might jump out at you?" A voice had sneered behind Sleekpaw. He turned to see a young brown tabby tom, contempt in his amber eyes._

" _No. I'm not scared of the lake or the water," He growled at the tom. He figured this must be an apprentice because of his size, and Riverclan by the smell of him. The apprentice shot him a daring look._

" _You'd never get in the water though. Shadowclan cats are heartless cats that live in the shadows and would never get caught in the water."_

 _Sleekpaw wasn't going to let this Riverclan apprentice get away with the challenge, so Sleekpaw headed for the lake a few tail lengths in front of him. He prayed that the water surrounding the island shore wasn't deep because Sleekpaw didn't know how to swim but he also wasn't afraid. Without hesitation, Sleekpaw waded into the water and went as far as it took for the water to soak his belly fur. The water was cold, but it didn't feel unnatural as it should have. The apprentice had been right, no Shadowclan would dare get into the lake, but Sleekpaw was different. He met the steady gaze of the Riverclan apprentice and saw surprise in his amber eyes. Sleekpaw shook out his fur as he stepped back onto dry land._

" _Well, you've proved me wrong Shadowclan cat. My name is Volepaw," The brown tabby tom, Volepaw, introduced himself._

" _I'm Sleekpaw. Did I pass your little assessment?" Sleekpaw muttered, shaking a leaf off of his wet paw._

" _I honestly didn't think you'd do it, but I'm glad you proved me wrong. Want to come meet the other apprentices? They'll never believe that I got a Shadowclan apprentice to get into the water."_

 _Sleekpaw hesitated to join the other apprentice. What would Shadowclan think if he joined the Riverclan apprentices? Well Graypelt had told him to make friends, and this was a gathering after all. Sleekpaw nodded for Volepaw to lead the way, and the tom gave a little hop of excitement. Sleekpaw rolled his eyes, but he was also starting to like this cat. They walked through the throng of clan cats until Sleekpaw noticed them approaching a group of smaller cats. They were no doubt all apprentices, three of them. There was a beautiful, long haired silver she-cat sitting next to a dark gray she-cat, and their other side was a black tom. They all watched Sleekpaw warily as Volepaw joined them._

" _This is Sleekpaw, I dared him to get into the lake!" Volepaw announced, taking a seat next to the black tom. The dark gray she-cat's blue eyes narrowed._

" _And you did it?" She directed the question at him._

" _Why not? Just because I'm in Shadowclan, doesn't mean that I'm scared of the water." He retorted._

" _Interesting, but now you're all wet," meowed the pretty she-cat, shuffling closer to the other she-cat. Sleekpaw's pelt heated up, and he fluffed out his fur wishing it would dry faster._

" _Anyway. Sleekpaw, this is Cloverpaw, Riverpaw, and Silkpaw," Volepaw introduced the apprentices, pointing his tail to the black tom then the dark-gray she-cat and finally to the silver she-cat seated next to him._

" _I'm Sleekpaw."_

That had been Sleekpaw's first gathering 2 moons ago. The tom was sitting a few fox lengths from the lake, reminiscing in the memory. It had been important to Sleekpaw, because since that night, he couldn't stop thinking about them and the life in Riverclan. They had intrigued him. Sleekpaw had always felt just slightly out of place in Shadowclan. He didn't like the damp, dark pine forest. Instead, he had always enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his fur, and the view of the lake. It had always drawn him in.

When he met the Riverclan apprentices, he enjoyed their company. After proving himself to Volepaw, the two toms had become friends. Sleekpaw has run into the Riverclan tom a few times at the border they shared, and Sleekpaw had continued to sit with Volepaw and the other Riverclan apprentices at gatherings. Sleekpaw also often thought of Silkpaw, even the thought of her was enough to warm up his ear tips and make his pelt heat up.

At the gathering two night falls ago, Volepaw and him had exchanged some battle moves and Volepaw had told him that one day he teach Sleekpaw how to fish. Sleekpaw had found himself looking forward to learning how to fish. He knew he shouldn't feel so drawn to Riverclan, but he couldn't help it. And it didn't help the feeling in the back of Sleekpaw's mind that he didn't belong.

"There you are Sleekpaw. Ivytail was searching camp for you," Sleekpaw turned to see Whisperingspirit, the silver and gray she-cat was standing behind him, her blue eyes round with worry. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes Whisperingspirit, I'm fine. I just needed to get out of camp to think," He responded. Whisperingspirit still looked after Sleekpaw, even after he was apprenticed. The elders had told Sleekpaw that Whisperingspirit and his mother, Nettleshine, had been good friends. It comforted Sleekpaw that Whisperingspirit had been the one to take him in.

"I understand that, though I don't want you to upset Ivytail by missing battle training practice," She laid her tail gently across his back as he stood next to her.

"We better get going then, thanks for coming to find me," Sleekpaw mewed and the two cats headed back into the shadows and towards the Shadowclan camp.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! There will be two chapter updates today, because this chapter is pretty short. If you're enjoying the story, feel free to leave a review and let me know what you guys are thinking!**

 **~ Tangleflame**

 **Fawnkit ~ Chapter 4**

"Mommy, why are her eyes not open yet? Like all of us?" A small brown she-kit was staring down at a much smaller she-kit curled up against her mother. At the sound of her voice, the smaller she-kit pricked her ears, but her eyes remained closed. The kit who had spoken, watched her sister with wide and curious eyes. Their mother, a beautiful brown she-cat, glanced down at the smaller kit with disgust in her hazel eyes.

"Because she's weak," Her voice was harsh, and kits surrounding her shrank back. Fawnkit, still curled up on the ground, also flinched but lifted her head and let her eyes open for the first time. Her eyes opened just in time to see the hateful look in her mother's eyes, and her ears flattened in fear. Turning her head away, Fawnkit turned her green eyes onto her siblings.

"Her eyes are open! Hi Fawnkit! I'm Featherkit and this is Heatherkit and Windkit!" A long-haired brown she-kit with cream flecks exclaimed, her feathery tail waving behind her, her blue eyes bright with excitement.

"Hello" Fawnkit's mew was soft as she unsteadily stood up from the nest. She stumbled in surprise as Brownfeather let out an angry hiss.

"Kits! Come here, don't talk to her," Brownfeather nudged Fawnkit's littermates away.

"But why Brownfeather?" Isn't she our sister?" Featherkit asked indignantly, taking a step toward Fawnkit.

"Hush Featherkit. She is not a part of this family; do you hear me?" The three kits slowly nodded their heads, looking like they still wanted to question Brownfeather, but chose to listen to their mother. Shifting in her nest, Brownfeather pushed Fawnkit behind her and faced the other three kits. She watched them play while Fawnkit sat wide eyed wondering what had just happened. _Did I do something wrong? Why doesn't Brownfeather want me? Am I really not a part of that family?_

Fawnkit wanted to ask Brownfeather what she had done wrong, but as she opened her mouth to speak, she quickly closed it. The brown she-cat scared her. _Isn't she supposed to be my mother?_

Instead, Fawnkit looked around the nursery. _It's kind of crowded in here_. A pale silver tabby she-cat was curled up in a nest near the entrance to the Nursery. She had no kits of her own, but Fawnkit could see that her belly was rounder than the other cats. _She must be expecting kits. Would she love her kits?_ In a nest next to the tabby, farther from the entrance, was an unusually spotted brown she-cat. Curled up next to her were three kits. All three of them looked bigger than Fawnkit, but around the same size of her littermates. Next to them, in a nest closer to Fawnkit, a gray-blue she-cat was quietly telling her kits a story. One of the kits, a gray she-kit, looked much bigger than the other two. She was hanging onto every word her mother said, her gray ear pricked intently. _It looks like their mother loves them, she's telling them a story. I wonder what she's telling them._

Fawnkit wanted to hear the story, but her legs felt too weak to move. Her muscles ached at the small strain of effort she put into trying to stand. Not wanting to try again, Fawnkit lay her head on her paws. The small dark brown she-kit felt a pang of hunger and hoped that Brownfeather would offer some of her milk, but the she-cat remained with her back to Fawnkit. Fawnkit waited, willing silently to be noticed, but after a few minutes her eyelids felt too heavy to keep open and she let them close.

Fawnkit pricked her ears towards the entrance to the nursery as she heard the sound of c at entering, but the scent was unfamiliar. She tasted the air and smelt that it was a she-cat and there were strong smells of different plants coming from her. Curious to see who it is, Fawnkit opened her eyes wide enough to see a light brown she-cat standing next to her mother. The she-cat looked similar to Brownfeather, but the patterns on her pelt were different.

"Brownfeather! Where's Fawnkit?" The she-cat was looking around wildly but didn't notice the small kit in the shadows behind Brownfeather.

"It's taking a nap peacefully behind me, Kestrelwing. Don't disturb it," Brownfeather's voice was dry and she replied, her pelt prickling. Kestrelwing narrowed her eyes at her sister, but they softened when they saw Fawnkit. Fawnkit on the other hand, couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and let them close. Her surroundings becoming darker and darker.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! Here is the second chapter for today! Another Fawnkit chapter that I hope will show you more of how she is treated.**

 **~ Tangleflame**

 **Fawnkit ~ Chapter 5**

Fawnkit had found out the she-cat's name was Kestrelwing, and she was what the clan called, the medicine cat. Apparently, she took care of the clan, tending to sick and healing them. Kestrelwing visited often, which Fawnkit was thankful for. Somehow, the medicine cat made her mother nicer to her. Maybe Kestrelwing could heal Brownfeather's hate towards for her. _Maybe I'll ask if she has an herb for that._

Fawnkit knew that Kestrelwing was the reason that Brownfeather had started giving Fawnkit milk. The small she-kit wasn't sure how long she went without milk, but Brownfeather had been refusing to let Fawnkit feed. It was because of one of the other queens, that had noticed that Fawnkit wasn't suckling, and had told Kestrelwing what was going on. Fawnkit could clearly remember the rage that was ablaze in Kestrelwing's green eyes as the medicine cat had stormed into the nursery. The medicine cat then helped Fawnkit get to Brownfeather's stomach and stayed until she was done suckling.

"Hurry up runt, I want to go share tongues with Stormshadow," Brownfeather's curt voice pulled Fawnkit out of her thoughts and she continued to nurse. Brownfeather was very impatient, and would often get up without waiting for Fawnkit to finish. The small she-kit had figured out what made Brownfeather more willing to let her feed. If she stayed away from Brownfeather and didn't get in her way, she would be able to feed longer. If Fawnkit got under Brownfeather's feet and annoyed her, she was given a short time before Brownfeather got impatient. It saddened Fawnkit that she had to try so hard to get Brownfeather to feed her, and the small kit often daydreamed that she another queen's kit and that she was loved.

Fawnkit had been getting stronger though. She was able to get to her small paws a lot easier and didn't get tired as easy. She didn't play with the other kits because she wasn't sure how Brownfeather would react or if she could handle playing with them. Watching her littermates play is how Fawnkit discovered she was different, she was smaller than they were. All of the kits in the nursery were bigger than her and had seemed to have boundless amount of energy. Fawnkit was different from them. _I'm different and Brownfeather hates me for it. I wonder if the other queens don't like me because I'm different._

 _Does Brownfeather know my name? She only ever calls me runt. She must know my name! Didn't she name me?_ Fawnkit pulled away just as Brownfeather shifted so she could get to her paws. Without even looking at Fawnkit, Brownfeather stood and slipped out of the nursery. Waiting a few minutes, Fawnkit also headed out of the nursery and stepped into the warm newleaf air. Choosing a shaded spot next to the gorse bush, Fawnkit sat down and curled her tail over her paws. She watched Brownfeather greet her father across the clearing. Stormshadow visited the nursery often, but he had stopped looking around for her. Stormshadow, as well as her littermates, had initially tried to talk to Fawnkit, but Brownfeather always made them stop. Now her father and her siblings just ignored her as Brownfeather did.

A young black tom headed towards Stormshadow and stopped to talk to him. Fawnkit watched curiously as they both glanced in her direction and continued to talk. The apprentice turned in her direction and started padding over to her. Fawnkit's ears flattened against her head as the black apprentice towered over her.

"Hi Fawnkit, Brownfeather told me to get you some gorse so you can have your own nest. I'll be right back!" Shadepaw was about to run off but stopped when he saw the confused look in Fawnkit's green eyes. "She told me, that she was worried she or the other kits would accidentally crush you in their sleep, so she said to make you a new nest, you know because you're a… runt."

With that, the apprentice bounded off towards the camp entrance to find some gorse, leaving Fawnkit with her jaws open in shock. Why would Brownfeather make her a separate nest? _She's not worried about me! She just doesn't want me near her!_

Fawnkit's shoulders drooped as the realization hit her. She wondered what the other queens would say when they saw her in her own nest. A kit barely older than a moon was going to be sleeping in a nest by herself. Fawnkit anxiously waited for Shadepaw to return. He had also called her a runt and it had upset her. Fawnkit had come to understand that it wasn't a nice word and she was upset that someone other than Brownfeather had called her it. The black apprentice wasn't gone very long and when he came back, he had a small bundle of gorse clamped in his jaws. _I guess he thinks I don't need much for a nest since I'm so small._

Fawnkit led Shadepaw into the nursery and pointed out a spot that was close to her old nest, but a good enough distance away that it wouldn't upset Brownfeather. The kit watched as Shadepaw laid down the bundle of gorse and spread it out evenly into a small nest. Satisfied with his work, Shadepaw dipped his head to Fawnkit and left her to stare at her new nest. Growing sad, Fawnkit padded out of the nursery and tried to forget that now she was even more alone than she had been before.

Perking her ears, Fawnkit watched as her littermates played a fox length in front of her. Featherkit, Heatherkit, and Windkit were rolling around on the ground, squealing with laughter. As the kits tumbled apart, Featherkit took notice of Fawnkit watching. Heading over to her sister, there was an unmistakable mischievous glint in Featherkit's eyes.

Wary of this, Fawnkit was shocked when Featherkit asked her, "Hey Fawnkit! Wanna play with us?"

Fawnkit knew she shouldn't say yes, but the urge to play with her littermates was too strong. Jumping to her feet, Fawnkit nodded enthusiastically. With a flick of her tail, Featherkit beckoned me to follow her.

"You'll be the Thunderclan warrior and we're the Windclan warriors trying to take over your territory," Windkit says, his dark gray fur blowing in the new-leaf wind, his black paws kneading the ground in anticipation. With a small flick of one of his black ears, my litter-mates crouched in front of me. Following their movements, Fawnkit slides into a defensive crouch. Fawnkit barely has any time to react before all three of her littermates jump at her. Being much smaller than they are, Fawnkit is instantly flattened by them and she struggles to get out from underneath them. At first panic overwhelms her as air rushes out of her lungs, but determination then floods her. Using her size to her advantage, Fawnkit slides out from under Windkit's belly. With a triumphant yowl, Fawnkit pounces on Featherkit. Featherkit lets out loud wail that catches the attention of all the warriors in the center of camp. Both kits freeze as Brownfeather whips around to see what happened to her kit.

"MOM! Fawnkit is hurting me!" Featherkit lets out another wail from underneath me. In a split second, Brownfeather is towering over the two kits, her hazel eyes blazing with hatred at Fawnkit. With a small swipe of her front paw, Fawnkit is in the air, tumbling head over heels as Brownfeather flings her off Featherkit. The impact knocks the breath out of Fawnkit and she lays stunned on the ground. Brownfeather gently pushes her nose all over Featherkit's body in search of injury. Fawnkit struggles into sitting position, whimpering at a small pain in her shoulder. _Featherkit tricked me. I wasn't hurting her, she just wanted Brownfeather to get mad at me._

"YOU!" Brownfeather snarls, turning on the small kit. A rush of fear engulfs Fawnkit and she scrambles to her paws and races to the nursery, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. Brownfeather thrusts her head in the nursery after Fawnkit, every hair on her neck bristling.

"Don't you ever think of doing that again." The other queens in the nursery gasp in surprise as Brownfeather snarls down at her kit. Fawnkit cowers in her nest, her pelt pushing uncomfortably into the den wall. The enraged queen gives Fawnkit one last withering look before retreating out of the nursery.

Once Brownfeather is gone, Skypool rushes over to Fawnkit, her belly swaying with the weight of unborn kits. Fawnkit squeaks in terror and flips onto her back, trying to show she wasn't any harm to the queen.

"Oh! I'm not going to hurt you, it's okay. It's okay Fawnkit," Skypool urgently tries to soothe Fawnkit, her tail brushing over the small kits side as they heave with every small breath Fawnkit takes. Fawnkit lets Skypool comfort her and eventually her heart stops thumping wildly in her chest and she slowly relaxes.

"You poor thing… What happened out there?" Fawnkit shakes her head in response, not wanting to talk about what had just happened. She was still in shock that Featherkit had done that to her. Skypool started to wash Fawnkit's fur, smoothing her pelt and warming her chilled body. Fawnkit closes her eyes with a sigh a relief and hears a soft purr come from the queen's throat. Fawnkit had never been treated with such gentleness and she didn't realize how much she had been craving this kind of attention. Her eyes snapped open at the sound of a loud hiss.

Fawnkit was only able to catch a quick glimpse of blue eyes in the entrance to the nursery before they disappeared. The hiss had come from Cheetahblaze. She was curled protectively around her kits, and she gave Fawnkit an apologetic look.

"It's okay Fawnkit, close your eyes. You're safe," Skypool's mew was soft in her ear and Fawnkit let her eyelids close. The gray-blue queen continued to run he tongue over Fawnkit's small body and the small kit was almost asleep when she heard another cat rush into the nursery.

"I was out on a walk with Swiftstar and when I came back, Streamflower told me that Brownfeather attacked Fawnkit! What happened?" Fawnkit recognized Shiningdawn's frantic mew.

"We're not really sure ourselves Shiningdawn."

"Mistkit only saw Brownfeather sprint towards her kits and shove Fawnkit off Featherkit. Then the poor kit came racing in here with Brownfeather on her heels. I don't think I've ever seen a queen so mad, especially at her own kit."

"She wouldn't even speak to us, poor thing."

Fawnkit didn't hear what was said next as sleep finally washed over her and swept her away from her harsh reality.


End file.
